Intratympanic steroid injection dosage

Endolymphatic sac decompression has probably polarized the otolaryngology community more so than any other aspect of MD treatment. Following the publication of the Danish Sham study, 18 the procedure was largely abandoned in Europe. However, the study had methodological flaws leading many to question the validity of the results. The procedure remains popular in the United States at the present time. To do justice to this particular argument is well beyond the scope of this article. However, being Irish, I shall invoke an anecdote on the subject involving the consumption of alcohol. After a night with this author and another otolaryngologist of Polish extraction, one of the authors of the Danish Sham study conceded that the procedure might actually be effective in controlling vertigo symptoms. However, he felt that the improvement, rather than being mediated via decompression of the endolymphatic sac, was due to the surgery inflicting a degree of insult to the vestibular system, similar to the effect of low-dose gentamicin. I suspect that heated discussion on the subject of sac decompression will continue for some years to come.

The dura mater and the mastoid or craniotomy are then closed with a variety of materials, and the patient is observed in the intensive care unit. Because the balance fibers are cut suddenly, the surgery causes intense vertigo and imbalance for a few days requiring supportive medical care, medications for nausea and eventually physical therapy. A cane or walker may be needed for a while, depending on the patient’s health and activity level prior to the surgery. Once the patient is able to ambulate safely, he may be discharged home, but vestibular and balance therapy is continued on an out-patient basis to speed the patient’s recovery as much as possible. A return to full function occurs in most patients, although many do feel imbalanced when tired or stressed.

People who experience a sudden hearing loss (SSNHL) are often treated with systemic steroids, which are taken orally. Studies however show that people with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) who do not respond to this treatment can benefit from intratympanic steroid injections. Studies carried out at universities in USA and Thailand show intratympanic steroid injections to be very effective and that the treatment does not have any side-effects.

Dr. David Haynes from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, USA, carried out the study of 40 people who had experienced sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Overall, 40% showed some kind of improvement when treated with intratympanic steroid injections.

In some instances, your specialist may recommend that you undergo an injection of gentamicin into the middle ear instead of a steroid. Gentamicin is an antibiotic which is known to have mildly toxic effects on both the balance and hearing parts of the ear, although its toxic effects on the vestibular system are very much more potent than on the hearing. Despite this, there is an increased chance of a hearing loss occurring with intratympanic gentamicin injections. For this reason, they are usually reserved for patients with a pre-existing severe hearing loss at the time the vertigo is diagnosed.

Intratympanic steroid injection dosage

In some instances, your specialist may recommend that you undergo an injection of gentamicin into the middle ear instead of a steroid. Gentamicin is an antibiotic which is known to have mildly toxic effects on both the balance and hearing parts of the ear, although its toxic effects on the vestibular system are very much more potent than on the hearing. Despite this, there is an increased chance of a hearing loss occurring with intratympanic gentamicin injections. For this reason, they are usually reserved for patients with a pre-existing severe hearing loss at the time the vertigo is diagnosed.